On the Outside Looking In
by Eryessa
Summary: An FFC Replay, sort of. Blaise is just another staff memeber, right? Well, maybe not. This story revolves around a young man who has issues, issues that seem strange to other people. When Terry hires Blaise to work as a staff member, how will it effect The Cup and others? Also Dina seems to have a soft spot for this staff member? Why? I'm trying something new this time.
1. Chapter 1

This was making him nervous. Blaise could clean those fake fossils like no one's business but being surrounded by so many people, it was nerve wracking on him. Pushing his dark blonde shaggy hair out of his face, he tried to focus on the words on the test paper in front of him. All he wanted to do was pass the preliminary tests to get into the Caliosteo Cup Competition, referred to as The Cup.

His feet were moving too much, he was sweating, he was getting antsy as he tried to read and give the answers he knew he had in him. It was like school all over again. He didn't like being around people, he didn't like being surrounded by people at least. Blaise knew this was going to break his chance but he had to try, he wanted this more than anything else.

"All right, everyone that's time." Stella, one of the Staff Leaders of Caliosteo Fossil Park, said. "Pass up your tests and head out to the grounds. We'll call your names and give you your results when we are done."

Blaise headed for the door, shoving his hands in his pockets. He tried not to touch anyone, he never liked that idea too much anyway. He just wanted to get outside and breathe. This was his only chance to make a change in his life, and he had been wanting to be a fossil fighter for some years now. Now that he was old enough, maybe he could. But the results of the test wouldn't be for a few hours and he just...he had to get away from people.

The preliminary tests were being held at a local fossil fighter camp that was run by the Fighters Association, commonly referred to as The FA Camp. It was where kids could come to learn about fossil fighting before heading off to actually accomplish that feat. His mother had struggled with that, not having enough money to send him there. Blaise sat under a tree he found comforting, next to the large pond in the middle of the Camp, and stared into it. His mind wondered to his life, his life that was never good enough for him at least...

"So, how do you think you did?" Blaise looked up, seeing the green clad kid that had sat behind him during the written test part. "I know I did great. I wasn't scared or anything. Why were you shaking, twitching and all that? Do you have epilepsy or something?"

"Todd!" A girl's voice yelled, causing both boys to turn around as a girl in blue shorts, a blue zippered top with black under cloths stomped up. "That was just rude to ask someone you don't even know."

"I'm just curious. He kept fidgeting and making me loose my concentration on the test!"

Blaise stood up, his peace and quiet ruined for the most part. As he dusted off his blue jeans, he started walking away.

"Hey, where you going?" Todd called out.

"Away from you." Was the reply no one had expected.

There was a little path that led behind the girl's cabins. Blaise found himself in that area by pure mistake. He just...he just wanted to be by himself. He was not anti-social, he just didn't like being around so many people. He preferred the company of either animal or vivosaur. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a picture, a picture that made him want to be a fossil fighter more than anything in his life.

Looking back at him was Blaise a few years younger than he was then, with his arms around the neck of a Smilo, a fire type vivosaur cat that he had befriended during a family trip to his uncle's place in Oklahoma. Smilo, Miles as he called him, had been abandoned by his original trainer and found his way to Blaise's uncle's place. Blaise and Miles were the best of friends for days until the FA sent out Joe Wildwest to retreive the prehistoric cat. Miles had been abandoned by his previous owner, but since Blaise wasn't old enough to be a fighter at the time, he couldn't keep Blaise.

Now here Blaise stood, friendless and feeling like a freak because he couldn't keep his fidgeting down.

"Will Blaise come to the exam hall? Blaise to the exam hall." He heard the announcement loud and clear.

* * *

He'd hoped he would have a chance to get into The Cup.

He wanted to enter the Cup so bad, but he came up short in the preliminaries that would have allowed him to enter into the cup. He didn't come up short, he flat out bottomed out and it felt as if he was falling. He was always falling.

"Blaise, wait, hold up there." Terry, one of the Staff Leaders that had been giving the preliminary tests to the contestants.

A blur of green whizzed by them at that moment. It was that Todd kid, someone that he didn't care for all too much. His friend, Dina, the blonde girl that always tried to keep him in order, followed by. Of course they had been some of the few that had managed to make it into The Cup, Blaise didn't. It was the test part, the written part. He just couldn't...

"Blaise, hey, look." He turned to the dark haired man that was approaching him. "I know you wanted to enter the cup but...were you having problems reading the quiz or something?"

"I don't like tests." He said, shifting his feet. "I like doing, not taking tests."

Terry stared at him.

"I didn't like being in that room full of people." He confessed. "I don't do well with tests when there are so many people around me. I...I..."

"You're autistic, I know." Terry said, nodding. "It's not something to be ashamed of, Blaise. But...maybe being in the competition isn't the best thing for you, not just yet at least. You need to take things slowly, before you get used to it. How about I give you a job?"

"What sort of job?" Blaise asked, tilting his head.

"You'll live and work at the Caliosteo Park, you'll be asked to take care of the park, make sure the contestants are doing okay. You'll have to wear a uniform...you'll also be given your own vivosaur to help with such matters. Also, you can go out and search for your own fossil rocks whenever you are not working."

"The pay?"

"The pay is good, and you'll have your own small apartment on whichever island you'll be assigned to. We just need more help, more workers to help make this Cup more enjoyable for the contestants."

"Okay. When do I have to get to the Park?"

"Two weeks before The Cup starts, that way you can settle in and start working. So will you...?"

Blaise nodded. "Sure, I suppose."

"Great, let's get you set up with what needs to be done now. Give your information and stuff, then we'll get you on your way to The Park." Terry smiled and the younger guy.

All Blaise could really do was follow Terry back into the building where he had just taken his test prior.


	2. Chapter 2

Not five days later, after the preliminary tests, Blaise was flying in an FA helicopter, heading to the fossil park, to get ready for the work that was ahead of him. First he was going to be heading to Cranial City to get his apartment ready. Terry would be there waiting for Blaise in the City Center where the Helipad was.

Sure enough, down below, Terry was waiting. A hand poised over his eyes as he watched the helicopter land. Blaise stepped out into the blazing heat of the city, he knew this felt right. This place, this park...to him it felt like home.

"You made it!" Terry called as the helicopter was flying off.

"I did." Blaise nodded, adjusting his backpack. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well, first, I'm going to show you to your apartment and then we'll go about finding you a starter vivosaur."

All Blaise could do was nod. Instead of making a conversation, Terry nodded for Blaise to follow him.

The heat was different for Blaise. True to his name sake, Blaise liked the hot and humid air. It was different from the cold weather and constant rain of the Pacific Northwest where he had come from. Everything was brick and sand, like something from a desert civilization. As Terry and Blaise passed the Fighter Station, a man caught Blaise's attention.

"Joe?" Blaise found himself saying, looking at the horned cowboy hat wearing man.

The man turned, having just come from a path to one of the numerous dig sites Caliosteo had, and smiled at Terry and the new staff member.

"Well grease my pants, if it ain't Blaise. How you been, pard? It's been some years hasn't it?" The southern accented man said, approaching the two.

"It has. How is Miles, I mean the Smilo that I found doing?"

"Oh, he's doin' just fine. Partnered with a nice girl that isn't really a fighter. He's smitten with her as much as he was with you. What brings you to this here park?"

"I was hired on as a staff member. Terry saw that I am good with maintenance and the Staff Leaders decided that I would be better off working here than being in the Cup itself."

"Good to hear. I know you'll be a great fighter some day. Strive to be better than me while you're at it. I just came back from Mount Krakanak, the volcano dig site. Here, this here fossil would fit you just right." Joe said, reaching into his fossil case.

The fossil rock in question was a strange fossil rock shaped like the number 69 in a way. From what Blaise could see there was a skull fossil in there. With the fossil rock in his hands, Blaise could feel something about it. Something different. It tingled from his hands to his toes, it sort of reverberated throughout his entire body as he stared at the fossil rock. Was it just his mis-wired brain, but it felt like the rock was trying to speak to him in some sort of way.

"Well, since we're right here in front of the Fossil Station I guess it's only appropriate to clean the fossil." Terry spoke up, breaking Blaise's concentration on the rock. "I was going to get you settled in but I suppose now is a good time as any to get your starter vivosaur."

"And I have to be going to Jungle Labyrinth over on Ribular, pards. I saw something that I wanted to check out. Best o' luck, Blaise. You'll be a fine fighter some day. Just strive to be better than me and you'll go far." Joe said, putting a hand on Blaise's shoulder.

Jerking back slightly from the touch, the teen nodded. "I will, sir."

"Great. Best be off. See you around, Terry." Tipping his hat to the staff leader, Joe released his Ptera from it's medal.

Blaise cringed at the idea of flying on a pterosaur as he watched Joe take off. The only flying he was going to do is in a helicopter and that was it, he told himself.

"Well, let's get going. The sooner we settle you in, the sooner you can go in search of fossils before your first official work day tomorrow." Terry said, breaking into Blaise's thoughts.

"Yeah, we better."

Cleaning fossils came sort of easy to Blaise, but this one was different. Cleaning around the loops without damaging the fossil was sort of difficult. At least it wasn't a hard fossil to crack into. Yet that stupid KL-33N thing was a bother to deal with when it was yacking in his ear as he cleaned, it didn't interfere with Blaise managing to get an almost perfectly cleaned fossil skull out of the rock.

"Great, now I'm going to take it over to the revival machine and revive it for you." Terry said, picking up the obviously feline skull.

Was it a Smilo? Could it be a Smilo. Ever since Miles had come into his life, Blaise wanted nothing more than to own a Smilo. Blaise watched the flash of light and in the container where a holographic image of the vivosaur in question appeared. No, it wasn't the yellow and red striped prehistoric cat, but it could pass as it's cousin. Instead of yellow this one was black with red tuffs of fur along it's head, down it's neck, and at it's elbows and knees on it's legs. It's feet were huge. The description said that it was a Machai, and it had strong support effects with the link ability that a lot of mamal vivosaurs had. Smilo didn't have that, it had FP Plus, or Fossil Power Plus. That means Smilo would give more FP to each round it was in so that other vivosaurs on it's team could fight. Not this one, Machai could attack from the support if the attacking vivosaur on it's team didn't take out the other vivosaur it was attacking. Blaise shook his head at the weird sounding thought that ran through his head. Did it make since, it did to him at least.

"Congratulations, you now have a Machai as your starter." Terry said handing the medal that contained Blaise's new vivosaur within it. "Oh, now you can name it whatever you want."

"I'll name it whatever it wants me to name it." Blaise then looked at Terry strangely as he held something else out to him. "What's that?"

"This is a medal case. You can carry up to five dino medals at a time on you. Just clip it to your belt and it will be easier to work with." Terry said, watching Blaise do just that. "Great, now off to your new apartment.

The apartment in question wasn't that far from the Fighter Station, just sort of behind it next to a water canal. The building looked like the rest of the city, almost. There was a Palm tree in front of it, near the door and what set it apart was a blue flag that was hanging over the main entrance. It was modern meets arcane, at least in Blaise's eyes. If that was the outside, he wondered what the inside would be.

"Here it is, number 13."

"I like thirteen as a number." Blaise spoke, mostly to himself.

"Well, it has the best view of the Volcano, in my opinion. I stay in a house near the fossil guild, I get to look at a very colorful Rainbow Canyon." Terry smiled handing Blaise a key. "This is your apartment key. Go have a look." He said opening the door.

One bedroom with a small balcony facing Mount Krakanak, the Volcano. It had a small kitchenette next to the balcony door. The bedroom was small, with a bed and a desk in there for personal uses. There were two windows in the bedroom, facing east so that the morning sun would light it up every morning. No drapes, Blaise noticed. So much for sleeping in pitch darkness. It was doable.

"Just for further reference, you can find more Machai pieces at the Volcano, along with Yango, Brachio, Compso, Anato, Berto and Tryma." Terry said as Blaise found himself standing on the balcony staring at the looming volcano in the background. "I'll bring over your uniforms tomorrow before you start your shift, okay."

"Terry, can I ask you something?" Blaise turned from the view.

"Sure, what?"

"Why did you do all of this for me? I'm...not really useful with being around people. I'm dumb when it comes to social stuff. Why did you offer me this job?"

"Honestly, I've seen that look before. The look of determination, all new Fighters get it, the ones that actually make something of themselves. You have that look. Whether you believe it or not, I know you can make it big as a fossil fighter, you just need to work up to it, prepare for it. Relax, go out to the dig sites on Cranial and then get some sleep. Here's a sonar for you to use and you have the pickax that I gave you before you left the camp right?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Good. Go. There will be other staff memebers off the clock right now, you might want to get in a few fossil battles while you're at it. Search, clean, revive, fight, that's all you have to do. Fight well, and see you tomorrow." Terry saluted Blaise before seeing himself out of the apartment.

Blaise watched the door close, and sighed. "Guess it wouldn't hurt to go look for some useful vivosaurs, and the rest of you, Machai." He glanced at the medal case on his hip. "Know what you want me to call you?"

To his amazement, he heard a voice as clear as day as if it was someone talking direction to him.

_**I like the name Mach.**_


	3. Chapter 3

All he could do was stare, not at the medal that was safely tucked into his medal case on his belt but...

"Dude, you can talk?" Blaise asked.

_**Of course I can talk, I was trying to talk to you earlier before you cleaned my skull. I couldn't move my mouth then. **_

"This is so cool, and a little freaky at the same time. So you see my thoughts?"

_**See, hear, we vivosaurs can do a lot of things you wouldn't believe. Of course, from what I know, not a lot of people can hear their vivosaurs and understand them. **_

Blaise ran his fingers through his hair, he should be freaking out about this and yet he wasn't. As a fan of fossil fighting, he hadn't heard anything about Fighters being able to talk to their vivosaurs. Yet, here he was talking to his lone Machai.

"Why didn't Terry speak about this before?" He asked, closing the sliding glass door behind him so that now he was standing in the living room of the apartment.

_**Some people have it, some don't.**_ Mach sounded amused to say the least.

"So, do you want to go find the rest of your parts before we have to get to work tomorrow?" Blaise asked, not sure how to continue on with this conversation as he went to get his pickax and fossil case.

_**Might as well, we have nothing better to do for the rest of the day.**_

So off to the volcano the two of them went. It was just beginning to turn evening time, and Blaise took notice of a cafe near his apartment building that said it was open all night. It must be great to live in the fossil park all the time, with free range of the dig sites, Blaise absently thought as he made his way through the city center towards the Mount Krakanak path.

_**Y**_**ou'd be surprised, Blaise. Living here, might not be all that glamorous as you may think. **Mach pointed out.

Blaise stopped at the beginning of the path. "What makes you think that?"

_**Well...I don't know. Just a thought I think.**_

"Just so you know, I'm not that good with conversations. If I don't like the topic I just sort of wonder off into my own thoughts." Blaise told the vivosaur as he pulled his sonar out of his pocket. "So, where is it that Joe found you here?"

It wasn't the main flat area, Mach told him. It was a path that wound through the volcano, towards the top at least. About halfway up on a volcano, on a naturally formed bridge of rock. There were no hand rails at this point, it was high up for Blaise's liking. He barely glanced over the edge of the bridge before scrambling back to the center. Feeling his Fighter's fear, Mach spoke up.

_**What is it, what's wrong?**_

"I don't like heights, never have. It's a bear for me to look down at this moment." Blaise said finding a rock to sit on.

Mach wasn't the one that spoke, it was a different person. He was maybe a little older than Blaise, who seemed to look older than his late teen years. This new guy had red hair, sporting a blue suit with a red bandana around his neck and a visor hat like Terry's. Standing next to him was a small thing, it took Blaise half a moment to realize it was a Nasaur, a very small blue and purple vivosaur mainly used for support effects on the opponent's team.

"Hi there, the name's Jimmy. I'm Joe Wildwest's nephew." The guy said, looking down at Blaise. "New guy, right?"

"Pretty much. I start tomorrow."

"Grunt work, fun." Jimmy rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.

Jimmy was skinny, boney and dimwitted...that was Mach's thought. His Nasaur was chattering too much for Blaise's head. Still shaking from his panic attack, Blaise forced himself to look at Jimmy as he stood up.

"I'm forced to work here. Why did you get the job?" Jimmy asked.

"I didn't pass the prelims."

"Oh, so you bombed which part, the test or the actual physical part. I think it was the physical part, you don't look like you've ever picked up an ax in your life."

This was becoming too much for Blaise. He didn't know if Jimmy was joking or not. That was the hardest thing for Blaise sometimes, he didn't take jokes well and this was one of those moments.

"So, what vivosaur did you get from Terry? Bet it was a compso, a runt like mine."

"Terry didn't give me my starter, Joe did. I met Joe a few years back and..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know...fossil battle and yadda yadda yadda. So if you're not lying, what did he give you?"

"A Machai, named Mach."

"Machai, but...how? He's good, not great, but he's sure better than this twirp." Jimmy motioned down to the Nasaur. "I think I was jipped somehow. Terry doesn't care for me, I think it had something to do with what I did back at the Prelims or something. Anyway, I'm off to find some real vivosaurs. Don't fall into the volcano. Actually do, that way my pay will be higher. Smell you later, kid." Jimmy said, turning and walking down the volcano.

_**Man, I hate that guy.**_

"I'm with you on that. Come on, we've wasted enough time talking. I want to get this over and done with for the night."

Blaise scowered the earthen bridge, his sonar picked up on several normal rocks, a few jewel rocks and some unknown fossil rocks.

_**I bet those are mine.**_ Mach's voice sounded happy.

"Probably your body, but I would need to clean these jewel rocks so that I can upgrade the sonar that Terry gave me. I heard about Fossil Chips for these things, it allows me to identify more fossil pieces for vivosaurs."

_**To make me stronger, right?**_

"Yeah, that's right. So the more money I get from these fossil jewels that more likely I'll be able to upgrade my sonar." Blaise said as he was making his way down the volcano again. "Since I am not in the Cup itself, I have more freedom since I have free range over the Park than the contestants. That's a good thing, I guess."

_**But you're more interested in getting me upgraded, right? I'll be your only vivosaur right?**_

"Are you afraid of a little competition, Mach?"

_**No, I just...I want to get to know you first before I have to share you with others.**_

"We need to work as a team, Mach. You're great for support effects, from what your bio said. But what if I were in a real fossil battle, how can I win against someone that has a water type, which you're weak against. I'll need a complete team."

_**Okay, okay, I get it. Just...don't bite off more than you can chew. What others do you want on your team?**_

"Well, one good attacker. I wouldn't mind something like a Spinax, or an Aeros. I wouldn't mind finding a Hypsi, that way your negetive accuracy support will be balanced out, maybe even a Tro, or a Nychus. I don't know. I'll have to look into it. Come on, it's getting to night fall and the fighter's station will be closing soon."

Blaise decided to run back to Cranial City. Yes run. It was something he liked to do, runnng. Being the one that always liked to be active, Blaise felt free when doing this. It was one of the ways he could escape from everyone, if he could leave them in his dust that is.

After cleaning his four jewel rocks, and getting a 95% on the lone Machai body fossil rock that Blaise found, he headed over to the Fossil Guild where the storekeeper was getting her stand ready. With it being two weeks before The Cup would begin, there wasn't much for Blaise to get except for an upgrade on his sonar. With the Fossil Chip 1 installed into his sonar, Blaise was ready to look for more fossil rocks during his breaks at Caliosteo Fossil Park.

Once his spending had been finished, Blaise returned home...

"Wait, home?" He asked, shaking his head as he closed the front door behind him, making sure to lock it.

_**Yeah, home. What, don't you have a home outside of here?** _

"I'd rather not talk about it." Blaise said putting his dino medal case on his nightstand next to his bed. "I have to get up early tomorrow, so I need to get to bed early tonight."

_**Okay, sleep well. Might as well sleep myself.**_

Moments later, as Blaise was coming out of the bathroom he could have sworn he heard snoring coming from the medal case.


End file.
